Adventure Time: The Chronicles of Aaa Season 2
by TaiylorWallace
Summary: Taiylor Wallace Presents: The Aaa Chronicles, the stories of Cake the Cat, Fionna the Human, Gumball the Candy Prince, and Marshall Lee the Vampire King. Rated T for blood and gore and possible language (it IS Marshall Lee). Season Two: Fight or Flight. A Fiolee series, dotted with the flirtations and jealousy of Flame Prince and Prince Gumball.
1. Season Two Opening

Welcome to Adventure Time: The Chronicles of Aaa! I created this story in the summer of 2014 after falling in love with Marshall Lee and the 'Bad Little Boy' Episode. I'd always been a big fan of Marceline, but Marshall was the final nail in the coffin of my inhibitions and I started writing fanfiction! Thanks to this site, I found a group of readers who stuck with me and I never got a bad word from the awesome community. Everyone was incredibly supportive, so here we go with more!

If you haven't read Season One, what the heck are you doing here? Go there! Just check out my page.

Thank you, my dear returners, for everything and I'm sorry about the long absence this winter. This is for you. Let's get this show on the road, aye?

-Taiylor Wallace


	2. FanArt & Blog Notice

Hey, guys, before we continue I have a fun thing for you. I've had a blog for this story for some time, but I finally found a use for it!

I'm posting my favorite fan art and my own fan art here when I can, and if anyone follows it, I'll start posting updates about the chapters. Due to FanFiction not allowing links, you can find it by my name Taiylor Wallace, or by 'Adventure Time In Aaa'. Also check out my other writing/lifestyle blog 'Weird? Maybe' on WordPress!

I hope to see you all in the next chapter!

-Taiylor Wallace


	3. Abadeer Hall P1

_(A Note from the Author: I'm super excited for this new season, and I'd like to offer another apology for the long delay, but here it is!)_

**_It's been months since the Lich Queen incident and things seem to be normal for Fionna the Human. That is, her kind of normal. The kind that involves punching monsters and visiting Prince Gumball for taste-testing his latest creations. The newest addition to her 'normal' is the Flame Prince, her boyfriend whom she gladly goes on dates with every few nights. But someone doesn't like this new normal._**

* * *

Fair weather had favored the grasslands all summer, and as autumn set in, so did a light chill. Cake the Cat and Fionna the Human spent more of their spare time inside with the cold, but Fionna also had an excuse to see her boyfriend of several months more often, the Flame Prince Flint Morkai. She loved to be near him, he was charming and intelligent and always attentive. Sometimes she wondered how he dealt with her endless and usually strange ramblings of whatever came to mind, but he seemed to do so happily. Their relationship had been made even better the day that they sought a pendant of flame protection from the flambits. Instead of Fionna wearing it, Flint now wore it constantly and it protected all around him from his flames no matter how heated his temper became thus far.

One autumn evening as the sun set over Aaa, Fionna found herself beside Flint with his arm wrapped about her shoulders. They'd enjoyed quiet dates every few nights for some time now, but in that time, Fionna had noticed that whenever Flint was around, Marshall Lee would either avoid her or, if he was already in her company, make an excuse to leave. She missed her best friend. She had said as much to Flint before, but he didn't seem too keen on Marshall Lee lately. Though they'd once been fair friends, a rift had been driven between them over what one or the other believed was best for Fionna, and Fionna hated that they seemed to think that they knew what was best. She'd had a talk with Flint about it and he'd said nothing more, but Marshall would never stick around long enough to broach the subject.

With a sigh, Fionna laid her head on Flint's shoulder. "I know you don't wanna hear this… but I really wish Marshall Lee would come back and hang out with us like he used to…"

"I'm sorry I'm not as entertaining," Flint sighed in return, trying not to sound angry though he really got jealous of Fionna's longer friendship with Marshall Lee.

"It's not that at all," Fionna told him quickly, lifting her head and looking up at him. "It's just… you know… he's one of my best friends for a reason, just like Cake is and you're my boyfriend. I love you all for different things. And not having all of you around is kinda depressing sometimes."

"… Would you like me to invite Cake and Marshall Lee on our dungeon run tomorrow night?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Fionna's eyes lit up brightly with hope.

"No, I wouldn't." Flint forced a smile, but Fionna knew he was lying. All the same, she hugged him tightly and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"You're the best."

* * *

The next evening, Fionna had managed to talk Marshall Lee into coming over. She made sure not to let on her plans with Flint and warned Cake no to say a word. They were playing games on BMO when Flint arrived. Marshall Lee looked up, visibly retreated within himself, and after a few minutes, tried to fake a casual goodbye with some lame excuse to do with his cat. Fionna caught him by his collar before he could flee.

"No way, man. We're going to a cool dungeon. All four of us."

"But Schwab-"

"Nope. Come on." Fionna knew he wouldn't leave without his axe guitar so she picked it up and strapped it across her shoulder after pulling on her backpack. Marshall fell back quietly beside Cake, sharing a look with her that said '_Fionna's trying too hard'_. They ventured across the plains to a small dip in the land near the border of the Ice Kingdom, where the ground had fallen away to reveal a crevice in the earth no doubt caused by an earthquake at some point.

"Flint and I checked it out a little bit last time we were here and we found the dungeon door. It looks like someone made it a long time ago when this thing first opened up," Fionna explained.

"The crude architecture suggests that it may be from –according to what humans a millennium ago called it- the 'Archaic Period'. But humans back then didn't really build such underground fortresses, especially not the people in the part of the world we're in, so… I don't know what group of people could've made it."

"Weird. I'm totally gonna forget all of that," Marshall crossed his arms as he floated along.

Flint glanced over to Fionna with an annoyed expression at Marshall Lee's lack of manners. Fionna gave his arm a squeeze to silently ask for his patience. When they got to the edge of the crevice, they found the rope that Fionna and Flint had used last time, but opted for Cake to stretch them down. Marshall Lee drifted down behind them and when they came to land, they found themselves in a massive, almost perfectly-domed cavern that definitely was not natural. It didn't seem like humans could manage such perfection, but the carvings were ancient and definitely made by human tools, as Flint pointed out in the chiseling and the aging, and also the tiny stalactites and stalagmites that had formed. He explained how they formed slowly, only up to an inch or so every thousand years. Marshall Lee, of course, paid no attention, studying the stone door at one side with little interest.

The great door was carved with intricate depictions that Flint couldn't identify. He knew they couldn't be what the humans had called 'Native American'. If anything, they looked like carvings from places humans knew as 'Greece' and 'Rome'. How they'd ended up in North America, which was where Flint believed Aaa was, no one had any idea. But as Flint thought aloud about how that could be possible, Marshall sighed and spoke up.

"They're not 'Greek' or whatever. They're demonic."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. Mom made this one." Marshall pointed to a carved depiction of a mortal man facing a horrific minotaur beast.

"How do you know?"

"I know her style. And she left her symbol."

"Where?"

Marshall drifted up to the very top of the door where a small carving lay, in the exact shape of the amulet of the Nightosphere. "It's kinda her thing. And it's usually a button." He pressed the shape into the wall, and the door groaned in protest, but sunk into the floor slowly. Dust drifted out along with the coldest air any of them had ever felt, likely thanks to the Ice Kingdom above.

As Marshall Lee came to hover by Fionna, the bunny-eared girl shared a glance with him. Both knew that if Helen Abadeer was responsible for this fortress, there was probably something either very valuable or very dangerous inside. Or both. And it was probably guarded by a plethora of traps, puzzles, pitfalls, and ancient demons. Cake hugged Fionna about the waist, letting her trepidation be known. Fionna unconsciously reached out to take Marshall's hand on one side, and Flint's on the other. This was going to be a challenge and it was probably going to be terrifying, knowing the Mistress of Darkness. Fionna could only wonder how Marshall would deal with the whole thing as he was still a bit at odds with his mother. Secretly, though, she was glad he was there with her. If anyone could find their way past Helen Abadeer's trickery and deadly workings, it was the son she'd always tried to turn into her mirror image.

In just one step, they were enshrouded in darkness that was only warded off by Flint's fiery glow. They stopped as the door slid shut behind them, glancing over the minotaur carved into the back of the stone slab, clearly warning them of the guardian of the ancient fortress. Fionna took a deep breath and looked to Flint, to Cake, and then to Marshall. "Let's go." She said as Marshall Lee's gaze met her own.

* * *

**_So what'd ya'll think? It's not nearly as long as I'd hoped, but if I'd expanded any further, I would've delved into part two. Thanks so much for sticking with me, followers, and thanks to the reviewers for all their supportive and constructive comments last season! I hope you like this season, and I'm always looking for input and ideas! Let me know what you think in the reviews, and I'll see you next time!_**

**_-Taiylor Wallace_**


	4. Abadeer Hall P2

_**Our four adventurers have been in the underground **_**_labyrinth for hours, and now they're separated in the vast maze. Hopefully they'll find each other before the minotaur finds them, if he really is a monster like they suspect._**

It'd been nearly three hours since Fionna had last seen Marshall Lee and Cake, and about a half-hour since she'd seen Flint. They'd decided to split into two groups to tackle the vast maze (which Flint had expected since a minotaur was its guardian and the whole place had been fairly Greek in essence despite demonic origins). If one group found the exit, Cake could stretch the other group over to them. They'd kept contact a while, able to shout up into the cavern and hear each other. That was, until Flint and Fionna walked under an archway and suddenly, Fionna didn't feel his arm around her shoulders anymore. He'd gone without any trace at all, and she hadn't gotten an answer from her friends when she called out into the cavern. It was as if she'd walked into a different world by passing through that portal. Even the stonework had changed style. She'd tried to go back through the 'portal', but it had turned into a solid wall when she'd looked away.

As she wandered slowly through the twisting paths, hugging herself tightly, she felt cold and incredibly lonely. It reminded her of how she'd felt in the Lich Queen's presence, but… not quite the same. She could still hold onto a hope that she'd find her friends, but it was fading with each dead end.

* * *

If he'd ever been angry before, Marshall Lee was fairly certain that previous tempers paled in comparison to his current boiling rage. Not only was he pissed off, but he was also nervous and, even though he'd never admit it, a little scared. Not necessarily for himself, but for the magical cat he'd suddenly lost in the maze and he felt an ache in his heart when he thought of how he'd tell Fionna he'd lost her sister without even realizing it. They'd been walking side-by-side… well, Cake was clinging to his side and walking a tad behind. She'd gotten nervous quickly, and had asked quietly if she could hold onto him just in case. Marshall Lee, for the first time ever, hadn't poked fun at her fear and he let her cling to his arm. Eventually, she looped a paw into his belt and walked practically on his heels. He simply walked on with his hands shoved in his pockets. Flying was useless as he'd found the moment he flew up high or Cake stretched up, they'd be struck with sudden blindness as if the darkness closed in on them above the tops of the walls. If they'd known that before they'd split from Fionna and Flint, they wouldn't have made the plan to had Cake stretch either group over to the ones who found the exit.

But now, Cake was missing having suddenly disappeared as Marshall passed through an archway which he'd turned to see he could not go back through as it'd become a solid wall. His only choice was to go on and he did so with more uncertainty than he'd ever felt. Being alone wasn't so preferable when there was a minotaur around somewhere, or so the many carvings on the walls would have him believe. He wouldn't have put it past his mother to emulate some old culture in her projects, but he really wondered what the point of this maze was. What was she hiding at the end?

As the walls of the maze slowly closed in until the path was only just wider than Marshall's shoulders, the Vampire King began to feel somewhat claustrophobic. That was coming from a vampire who'd been buried alive a few times either on accident when his friends didn't know he was undead or to fake his own death to escape enemies. He tried to fly up and peer over the walls, but the darkness would allow no such thing. Eventually, even a ceiling came down as the maze delved into rock and left the massive echoing cavern behind, until Marshall was crawling uncomfortably and wished he had Cake's power to shrink. At one point, he thought he was going to get stuck attempting to back out of a dead end, until the floor suddenly opened up under him. If it wasn't for his ability to fly, he would've fallen about ten feet onto a very narrow crystalline platform over a glowing river of lava. There were more of these platforms, hanging from massive, single chains from the ceiling high above. Marshall landed on one, standing close to the chain to keep it balanced, and he looked over the other platforms. A human would have some serious difficulty jumping between them without tilting them and falling off into the lava. He only hoped Fionna didn't come across this challenge. But that just wasn't the case.

When he heard what sounded like a cave-in and saw a bunny-eared form falling toward a platform, he moved faster than he'd ever done in his life. She fell to the platform with a yelp at the impact, and when the centrally-balanced platform tilted, she rolled off and couldn't get a grip on the smooth edge. Luckily, Marshall Lee caught her long before she fell too far, and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as he clutched her shivering form in tight. She was terrified, claustrophobic from crawling through tunnels, and had lost all hope when she'd missed grabbing the edge of the crystal platform.

"It's okay, Fi," Marshall whispered as he drifted up high away from the intense heat. He followed the line of crystal discs til he came to a ledge that led into a large hand-carved tunnel. He landed on his feel, but she didn't want to let go of him even as she was set on her own two feet. Marshall wrapped his arms around her to offer all the comfort she wanted and needed. He'd never seen her so afraid, and he figured it was because she'd lost Flint. Fionna clung to him a while longer before finally stepping back with a blush that he could vaguely see in the dim light of the lava below. If not for the circumstances, he would've smiled, maybe chuckled, and reached up to brush a few stray golden strands from her face.

"Sorry… Just got really worked up… Flint disappeared…"

"I figured… I… I lost Cake." When Fionna looked up in alarm, Marshall raised his hands in defense, "I don't know how. I just… walked through this arch-"

"And she was just gone," Fionna finished his sentence for him. "The same thing happened with Flint. We've gotta find them."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know. I bet we'll find them at the end. That's usually how Mom's stuff works. And if we get separated… well, I'll see you at the end."

"Heck no," Fionna clung to him again, and Marshall couldn't help thinking about how… nice that felt. Like she really did need him. But he realized he wasn't focusing, so he hugged her tightly before taking her hand.

"Let's go. There should be some crazy monster for you to slay so we can rescue your dumb boyfriend and your kitty-cat."

Before they could go, Fionna gave Marshall's hand a squeeze. "I'm really glad you came, you know… I know you and Flint don't get along… I really missed you." Marshall felt a harsh tug at his heart.

"Yeah Fi… I missed you too." He wouldn't say the rest.

* * *

The two walked for so long in the following tunnels that they eventually had to pause to sleep, and they both felt like they were starving by the time they found a new portion of Helen Abadeer's Labyrinth. Marshall Lee was daydreaming about all the fruit in his fridge and Fionna wanted nothing more than a bowl of Cake's famous macaroni and cheese. They entered a large chamber that was a dome exactly like the one they'd started in, until both realized it actually was the same chamber. The difference now was that the doorway was open again, and they were perched up on a ledge about twenty feet from the floor. Down in the center of the floor lay Cake and Flint, unconscious. Marshall almost didn't catch Fionna in time when she leapt off the too-high ledge. He set her gently on her feet and she bolted to her sister and boyfriend.

"Flint? Cake?" Fionna asked nervously as she reached out to stroke Cake's ears. The magical cat grumbled as if having a nightmare.

"Oh, Glob…" Fionna looked up at this whisper from Marshall, and in the open stone doorway, she saw the outline of a great beast. She'd seen minotaurs several times before, but… this one was… different.

With a soft snort, the bull-man's massive hooves clashed against the stone floor as he stepped out. He was dressed in a long dark grey robe and cloak, not unlike some kind of priest, and from his neck hung a silver replica of the Nightosphere amulet with a small ruby set in the center. He had a very peaceful expression and he came to a halt before them, bringing his hands up to tuck into his sleeves before him.

"Welcome, young adventurers."

"Bern?" Marshall asked softly.

"And welcome, Your Grace. I'd almost not recognized you," the minotaur smiled.

"You know this dude?" Fionna looked up at Marshall.

"Yeah, he… he was around a lot when I was little."

"Yes, I was a… a bit of a caretaker, you might say. After the Prince disappeared into the mortal world and didn't seem to be coming back, I left the Nightosphere to take up residence here after the former caretaker left."

"So you're the one who kidnapped Flint and Cake?" Fionna growled.

"No. I retrieved them from their captor."

"Which was who?"

"The cave-goblins who decided to take over the maze with magicks that do not belong to them. This place is meant to be a test of patience, stamina, and faith for those wishing to work at Lady Helen Abadeer's side or become some manner of champion for her in the old days. But ever since I took over, it has become a pilgrimage of sorts for adventurers to prove their steadfastness and willpower. My good friend Choose Goose sends many, but ever since the goblins took over, it's been too much for many adventurers and I have to save them before they're eaten. Luckily, goblins don't eat cats and obviously nothing but a fellow fireling creature can eat a fireling."

"So… Marshall and I made it through. Does that mean we win or something?"

"Not quite. You see, Lady Helen told me I might see her son and his friends before long, and she gave me special instructions." From out of nowhere, the minotaur reached up and in his hand appeared a folded paper. He opened it up cleared his throat, and read aloud, "Bern, I'm writing to you on behalf of both myself and my late husband. When we first built the Mazirion that you now control, we intended for it to be used to prove the usefulness of selected demons, but also to be a test for our children as, at the time, we didn't know how many we'd have. Marshall Lee was meant to take on the tests of the Mazirion when he came of age, but as you know, he and I were separated and he was trapped in the mortal world and became King of Vampires. Now that he and I are back on fairly good terms and I've met his mortal friends, I know that his little human friend Fionna will eventually find out about the Mazirion and, being the adventurer and death-challenger she is, she'll want to take it on. Odds are, she'll bring her magical cat-sister and Marshall. Maybe even that Flame Prince she's been spending time with. Take them on and don't go easy on Marshall. You know what to do. He may be a thousand years old, but I want to see him complete the challenge his father laid down for him. Odds are, once he hears his father designed it all for him, he will too. Thank you, old friend… Signed, Helen Abadeer, Empress of the Nightosphere."

Marshall was silent for a long time even as Fionna and Bern looked for his reaction. Finally, Fionna asked softly, "Hey… Marsh?"

"Yeah…?" He murmured.

"… What was your dad's name?"

"… Marcel..."

"He designed everything here," Bern nodded. "He was an incredible artist and a bit of a classical musician. Aside from a few physical nuances from his mother, the Prince is astonishingly similar to him."

"So… what'd the old man want me to do?" Marshall Lee finally looked up to meet Bern's gaze.

"Neither your mother or father left real instructions… They said you'd know what to do." Bern motioned for him to follow. Marshall nodded, but before he got too far, Fionna stood and took his arm.

"Can I come with him? Will they be okay?" Fionna asked Bern quietly.

"Lady Helen told me that the Prince didn't have to be alone. And those two will be perfectly fine. They're simply very tired. It's perfectly safe in this part of the Mazirion, and I will know if danger approaches."

So, leaving Flint and Cake to rest, the three entered the door from which Bern came, and came down a candle-lit corridor to what looked like the interior of a temple. Across the walls on the left and right were shelves lined with ancient Nightospherian artefacts, and against the back wall, Marshall came to face a massive stone golem, simply watching and waiting. Marshall smiled almost bitterly as Fionna squeezed his arm. "Dad loved making golems… He was obsessed with building them since he didn't have any magical powers, but they had their own if you built them right. He loved creating things… This must be one of the last ones."

"Is it gonna try to fight us?"

"Yeah. This is a heavy stone fighter."

"So… do you know how to beat it?"

"No idea. Better get your sword out, though."

Fionna let go of his arm and reached into her backpack for her crystal sword that Gumball had made for her after the incident with Ice Queen, and Marshall Lee pulled his axe-guitar from his back. Bern stood quietly in the corner, and tossed a small pebble at the golem. With a tiny _tink_, it bounced off the golem's shoulder. The great beast's shoulder plates shifted like two huge boulders getting dislodged from a thousand-year old resting place… which wasn't too far from the truth, and its square-ish head rose up. Two glowing blue eyes came to stare at Marshall Lee and its massive hand with only two thick fingers and a thumb rose up, opened, and revealed what seemed to be a barrel in its arm. When the barrel glowed with focusing magical energy, Marshall and Fionna dove in opposite directions to avoid the blast of raw energy, and it shot down the hall behind them to strike the back of the door that Bern had closed behind them. Both bolted forward on either side and struck him in both arms with their weapons, only for each to suffer an awful reverberation through their arms at the force while the golem was left unscathed. After dodging another blast, Marshall tried for the golem's joints, but got the same result.

"Okay," Marshall grunted as he landed beside Fionna after yet another blast. "So… he's got no physical weaknesses on the outside."

"Lemme try something." Fionna bolted forward as the golem lifted his arm again, and before Marshall could yell at her to get back, she shoved her blade down the barrel in the golem's arm. The blade stuck and Fionna yelped as she was thrown back by a swipe from the golem's other arm, and her sword was blown clear when he shot out another blast. Marshall barely managed to get her out of its path, but it grazed him and ripped a large hole in his shirt around the left side of his ribs and left his skin burnt there. In pulling Fionna to her feet, he dropped his guitar and the strings twanged in complaint, making the golem suddenly pause. Marshall looked up as Fionna leaned on him, trying to catch her breath.

"He stopped…" Marshall muttered.

"No he didn't!" Fionna tackled Marshall to the floor as the golem charged at them, narrowly stepping over the guitar. Marshall grabbed it from where he'd landed and strummed all the strings at once, creating the simple open-string chord. The golem paused again, and Marshall drew the guitar to his stomach as Fionna still lay beside him, panting, and he strummed a few more chords as he stood up and Fionna rose with him.

"What's happening?" Fionna murmured.

"This was how dad kept them peaceful for repairs, just in case they got knocked around too much and turned on him… His golems all fall dormant to certain pieces of his music. He made sure one of the songs was the lullaby he wrote for me, so I could sing it just in case I ever ran into a broken golem."

"Sing it. Maybe that's what you have to do."

"It's embarrassing."

"Come on, man, you've done way more embarrassing stuff in front of me. Besides, your dad writing a lullaby for you is awesome and really sweet."

"Okay… just don't laugh at me…" Marshall took a deep breath, changing from one song to another with an easy transition. With a sigh, he began.

"_Hey, little guy, it's time to dream._

_Time to go and see the unseen._

_Magic mountains, oceans of blue,_

_And it's all been made just for you…_

_Time to fly with Mom and I,_

_Into the great big blue sky._

_Lay your head down little guy…_

_And I'll see you when you rise…"_

Marshall had to reach up to wipe his own tears away when he realized he'd been crying, and Fionna couldn't help the tears that brimmed in her own eyes. Both looked up to see the golem staring at them, and then the great creature knelt as the last chord faded, and his stone chestplate opened up, splitting down the middle. Inside in a cavity floated a glowing blue gem about the size of a small marble, and beneath it lay a little old scroll and what looked to be a toy dinosaur and a jewelry box. Marshall approached slowly, sliding his guitar around to his back. He reached in, taking the three items.

"The gem too. Lady Helen said you should take it," Bern said softly.

"But it'll make the golem useless…" Marshall murmured.

"I'll keep it safe, but she wanted you to take the gem."

"Okay…" Marshall took hold of the gem, and the blow glow disappeared from the golem's eyes and it fell dormant.

"Now… you'd best get your friends and go."

"But what about you?"

"I must continue my project to eradicate the goblins and I must maintain this place for future adventurers. Go on. You may return any time, but I will show you the easier entrance as you've already passed the tests."

"Come on, Fi…" Marshall tucked the dinosaur, gem, and jewelry box into his pants pockets and carried the scroll in hand as they returned to Flint and Cake, who were just waking up. Bern showed them the way out and they had to explain to Flint and Cake what had happened. Flint, needless to say, was a little suspicious of Fionna and Marshall's emotional states but Fionna assured him that it was because of Marshall's father's song.

* * *

Bern took them through a winding tunnel that slowly ran upwards, and they found themselves on the edge of a forest not two miles from Marshall's home. Cake wanted to go home right away and so did Flint, but Fionna was worried about Marshall and the forlorn and depressed expression on his face, not to mention she was curious as to the meaning of the objects he'd received, though she didn't want to push. She said goodbye to her boyfriend and sister, and followed Marshall to his home. They had to hurry along as it was nearly sunrise.

When they arrived, Marshall greeted his cat Schwabl with a pat before he sat down on his sofa and Fionna settled beside him. He sighed softly, pulling out the four objects. He half-smiled at the dinosaur figure and Fionna guessed it'd been a toy of his. He laid it and the gem aside and opened up the old scroll whose edges crumbled slightly in his hands. Fionna didn't try to read it over his shoulder, as much as she wanted to, but she was surprised when he handed it over her to read. As she carefully took it, she found the handwriting was rather comforting and casual in style, sharply edged but messy and easygoing.

_Marshall Lee,_

_Hey, little guy, it's Dad. I really miss you, buddy. It's been almost ten years since you've been gone, and I've been thinking of you every day since we lost you. I built this big stone golem based on a drawing you made for me when you were six. I hope you like it. And the gem inside is made from that special marble you found when you were five. I'm sorry I never got around to making it into a necklace for you. Mom and I were always so busy… now that you're gone, I regret every time I had to leave you with Bern to do something that, looking back, was pointless compared to spending time with my family. I hope you won't hold it against us, but I wouldn't blame you if you did. And I'm sorry I got so sick and I couldn't do anything with you… I'm still sick now, even worse than before, and Mom's worried out of her mind for me. It's hard for a demon to understand human illness... But I'll be okay. After all, I gotta be here when you get back, right? Even if it takes you forever, I promise I'll be waiting in my studio for you… Even if I'm gone before you return, I'll be in that dusty old place with my guitar and my keyboard, waiting to see what kind of musician you've become, or whatever you decided to be._

_I miss you so much, Marsh… I hope you find this golem in the mortal world before too long. The gem can bring you home. You know the spell for it, Mom made sure to teach you. I love you, little guy… You'll always be my rockstar._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Fionna looked up slowly, tears brimming once more. But she was a little shocked to see tears coursing down Marshall's face like some kind of emotional dam had broken. She'd never really seen him cry like that. She wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him tightly. They cried together, one for a lost father and one for the boy who lost him. After a long while, Marshall leaned back and they both looked down as he opened the jewelry box to find a silver ring set with an aquamarine, and Marshall choked up again. Fionna knew right away that it must've been Marcel's ring.

They spent a long time in silence and both eventually fell asleep on the couch, leaning on one another. Never had Marshall Lee been so glad for a friend at his side, and he was even more thankful that it was Fionna. He'd never gone through so much emotional turmoil with anyone before, but he couldn't have asked for a better person to face it with him… Thank the stars for Fionna.

* * *

_**Finally I've got part two done. I had a huge surge of inspiration today and I wrote two scenes of a play and then sat down to write this. It's longer than my usual chapter to make up for the shortness of the last. Season Two is starting on a strong emotional high. I hope you like the insight into Marshall Lee's father, and yes, I purposely named him Marcel to send a little bit of love to Marceline, my other most favorite vampire ever. And this won't be the last we hear from Marcel.**_

_**-Taiylor Wallace**_


	5. Good Little Girl

(Alternate Title: Bad Little Boy)

**What with the lasting relationship of Fionna and Flint, Marshall tries his best to revive the old easy-going, rough-housing friendship he enjoyed with Fionna before Flint's arrival.**

* * *

Fionna had cried many times in front of Marshall Lee, though that wasn't to say she cried often. The tears usually came on because of something horrible happening to innocent people or those that Fionna loved, or a little more rarely, Marshall and Flint fighting until it nearly came to blows. Fionna hated to see two of her favorite people hate each other. But as Marshall drifted home that morning under the protection of a hat and coat from Fionna's house, he thought back on Fionna's tears only hours before. His face and ribs still ached from the beating she'd given him for pranking her so badly. Or at least, she'd thought it was a prank, thankfully.

* * *

He'd been bored for a few days after his last big fight with Flint Morkai that had nearly burnt up a section of the grasslands and melted a fair share of its border with the Ice Kingdom. So at the news that LSP was throwing a party in the woods, Marshall immediately thought to bring Fionna. Of course when he arrived in the rain soaked to the skin and looked in the window, he found Prince Gumball there offering the adventuress and her sister his best cream puffs. Naturally, Marshall swooped in and stole them all before perching on the roof. He made sure to make plenty of noise to get Fionna's attention. It'd hardly taken any effort and his cocky 'I know you're gonna say yes to me' line to get Fionna and Cake to come with him after running Gumball off with a color-drained cream puff to the face.

The party was pretty good by Marshall's standards what with dancing, fist-fighting, and a few tipsy people stumbling around the place. He'd wasted no time in taking the stage- that was what LSP had asked him to come for after all- and drumming up an impromptu song to tease Fionna about being a good little girl.

With the first strums of his guitar, Fionna was copying his dancing until he managed to embarrass her once again. The moment she shoved him away, he began and the cat and the girl sang harmony backup.

"Good little girl, always picking a fight with me.

You know that I'm bad, but you're spending the night with me.

What, do you want, from my world?

You're a good little girl…"

Marshall knew Fionna was up for his musical challenge, so the moment he finished his last line, he landed to dance with Cake and sing backup while Fionna sang and the crowd of partygoers cheered for her.

"Bad little boy; that's what you're acting like.

I really don't buy

that you're that kind of guy.

And if you are

why do you want to hang out with me?"

Marshall had dropped the harmony a moment ago when Cake stopped paying attention, but with a hiss, Fionna gasped to see him baring his fangs as Cake's exposed neck as she'd dipped down. Fionna rushed forward and Marshall let Cake go and drifted up into the air above the stage with a maniacal laugh. He didn't hesitate to continue.

"Don't you know I'm a villain? Every night I'm out killin'

Sendin' everyone running like children.

I know why you're mad at me: I got demon eyes

and they're looking right through your anatomy

Into your deepest fears. Baby, I'm not from here

I'm from the Nightosphere.

To me you're clear, transparent.

You got a thing for me girl, it's apparent."

He'd always teased Fionna about having a crush on him regardless of whether it was true or not. If he was honest with himself- which he refused to be- he wished she_ did_. But just before he could get into those thoughts Cake took over and began singing something he didn't really pay attention to. Behind the singing and dancing cat, Fionna approached Marshall.

"You're not so bad, y'know," Fionna commented with a smile. She reminded him of said fact as often as possible.

"Not so bad?" Marshall snorted. "I'm the son of a demon… and the Vampire King. It's not something I have to try at. You on the other hand…"

"I'm not trying to be bad," Fionna insisted, quite sure of herself. "I'm hanging out with you because you're my _friend._"

"What?" Marshall chuckled, pulling a sugar-covered cream puff from his shirt and holding it up. "Like _him_?" He loved to tease her about her former crush on Gumball and their friendship now. He blew the powdered sugar off and Fionna spluttered trying to wave it away.

"No! Different!" She tried to shove him, but he dodged round and tripped her playfully. "Hey!" She was able to catch herself and looked up with a grin to accept his challenge. "Hi-yah!" She kicked his feet out from under him. All too ready, Marshall only laughed.

"Oh no!" He cried sarcastically, drifting to the stage floor like a leaf. However, he wasn't ready for her elbow-drop into his stomach. This rough-housing was nothing new but they hadn't done it since she'd begun dating Flint. So Marshall got a little carried away and his return kick ended up hitting her head and sending her sliding. His eyes grew wide with worry and he sat up quickly as Cake jumped between them.

"Hey! Break it up you two!" Cake demanded. Marshall tried to play it off like everything was fine, but he forgot Fionna's one rule when he pushed Cake aside.

"Out of my way, kitty." Again, it seemed he got carried away with the shove and Cake fell from the stage. Still, Marshall tried to feign indifference to save face.

"Hey!" Fionna bolted past him to get Cake.

"Oh, come on, that was funny!" Marshall called after her even though he himself didn't think it was all that hilarious. He always went too far… But he couldn't stop and apologize. He'd look weak. He'd lose his reputation. He wouldn't be considered the bad boy he tried so hard to be. He couldn't lose that title, it was all that most people seemed to like and respect him for.

Fionna picked up Cake after checking that she was alright and Marshall flew after them. "Hey! Come on, where you goin'? What's the deal? Th- Y-…" He stumbled over his words when she turned her nose up at him and continued on with Cake in her arms. "You're missing the party," he reminded her, hoping she'd give in and come back. And as if to pretend he didn't really care that he'd crossed her, he added laughingly, "Fionna, lighten up."

"Look. I don't care if you're being a jerk to me," she then fixed him with an icy glare, "but _nobody_ messes with Cake."

"Oh, really?" Marshall was starting to get angry at himself as much as he smiled devilishly. "Well what if I just take her right now, you know?" He snatched the cat from Fionna's arms and drifted into the sky.

"What?!" Fionna's eyes grew wide. Marshall had gone too far.

"Unexpected!" Marshall called back as he flew toward the nearby graveyard. He couldn't stop now or he'd look like an idiot _and _a jerk.

"MARSHALL!" He heard Fionna yell after him, and he knew he was screwed if she got her hands on him. As she arrived in the graveyard calling for Cake, Marshall lifted a hand to the sky to summon his demonic and vampiric power.

"You want your Cake back? Come… and… get her!" With a flash of lightning, the undead skeletons began to claw their way from the dirt. Fionna looked shocked and Marshall kept his roll going. He couldn't stop… he just couldn't. He was too invested in getting some outcome out of this that he himself was not really sure of anymore. He'd just wanted to have fun, play some music, and maybe tease Fionna a bit. Now he was sending skeletons after her. This was her idea of fun, right? Fighting? But… he'd screwed up so badly and it wasn't about the fun anymore. Fionna was coming to save Cake. It had always been Fionna's rule that Marshall could never mess with Cake to any degree beyond a little teasing. Whenever he'd broken that rule before, he got quite a beating in their rough-housing or, far worse, the silent treatment for days.

In an attempt to keep up his charade of being in-control and enjoying himself- why, he didn't know anymore- he brought up a skeleton to give him a beat.

"Did you think I was lying? I said I'm evil without even trying.

Already dead so I'm not scared of dying…

Drinking the read from your heart in one sitting-

You think you've got me pegged? You must be kidding!

I raise the dead up and they do my bidding!

Girl, I'm a thousand years old; I'm a riddle.

Bad little boy- yes I'm bad but not little…"

By this point, Cake had had enough. "Uh-uh, boy. What're you thinkin'?" As she began to stretch out to wrestle away, Marshall found himself now fighting to keep hold of her, even stop her from ensnaring him. He had to take on his demonic giant bat form in order to stay in control snarling with effort. Fionna fought through the mass of skeletons with a sword taken from one, and Cake called for help. "Fionna!"

"Cake!" Fionna called back, bolting toward the mausoleum on which Marshall stood.

"Grab onto my little paws!" Cake cried, stretching her paws out to her sister. With both girls' might combined, Marshall found himself being pulled from the stone platform until suddenly an ancient spear stuck point-up in the ground came into his view. It narrowly missed Cake and instead plunged right through the left center of Marshall's ribs and ran him clean through. Marshall let go and cried out with a horrible bat-screech as he shrank back down into his vampire form on the stone roof, clutching his ribs with the spear still protruding upward from his body. He groaned quietly in pain as he lay on the cold stone, and growled weakly as the sun peeked above the horizon and burned his exposed skin. Cake was quick to bolt up and block the sun and Fionna was even quicker to Marshall's side with the most concerned, even hurt look that Marshall had ever seen from her.

"Oh, this is bad guys… this is really bad," he groaned half through clenched teeth.

"Marshall!" Fionna knelt beside him, hesitating as she wasn't sure what to do. "Come on! You gotta be okay…"

He couldn't help a chuckle, and in a moment of delirium, he told her, "I think this is it for me, Fionna… so why don't you just admit it..." Did he dare? For once… he did. "You're in love with me…"

Fionna gasped quietly and sat back on her knees as tears filled her eyes. "I… I get that you flirt with me all the time and it's funny or whatever… But you're doing that _now?!_" The tears really came on then and her voice was watery and cracking as she growled, "What are you trying to do to my head? You think I've got some little crush on you?! … Well for however long we've got left… FOR ONCE, DROP IT YOU FREAK!"

Marshall had never sat up so fast in his life, pulling the spear from his ribs recklessly. "Faking it! Faking it!" He told her quickly. He opened up his shirt just enough to show her the crushed cream puffs that had stained his shirt. "Okay, my shirt is like, filled with cream puffs."

"Oh, goodness…" Cake sighed in relief. As much as he annoyed her, she certainly didn't want him to die. He was still a friend.

Running his fingers back into his shaggy black hair, Marshall fixed Fionna with a disbelieving gaze. "Glob, Fionna… you're like the realest person I've ever met…" He'd broken her heart with that stupidity and he knew it well. But what concerned him most was her answer, or lack thereof. Of course she didn't have a crush on him anymore, if she ever did… she was with Flint. He was all she needed and Marshall Lee was just pursuing and teasing some stupid fantasy of his own making. But his thoughts were promptly cut short when Fionna hauled off and punched him across the face.

"Augh! My cheek meat!" Marshall cried, looking back at Fionna and nursing his bruising cheek as she smiled with tears streaming down her face and laughed like she'd gone absolutely nuts.

"Quit clowning, Fionna," Marshall tried to shake her out of her relieved, heartbroken, angry daze. When she began stalking closer even as he tried to drag himself away quickly, his eyes grew wide. "Fionna…? F-Fionna?" She wasn't stopping! "FIONNA!" _SMACK!_

She gave him quite a few good knocks before she finally collapsed against him, sobbing her heart out even as she clung to him. She'd backed him up against a lone tree in the graveyard and he leaned back against it as he wrapped his arms around her to offer apology and comfort if he could. Cake remained close, but not too close, letting the tree shade the vampire now. After a long while when Fionna's tears subsided to sniffling, Marshall hugged her a little tighter.

"I'm sorry, Fi," he murmured. "I was just trying to make things the way they used to be… but I got angry and carried away…" Fionna had never heard him apologize for being the bad boy he tried so hard to be. She knew he was good, just a little stupid when he got upset.

"It's okay… just as long as you don't do anything this stupid ever again." Fionna looked up at him. "You're really okay…?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied with a smile, but she believed him. After a long while more of simply sitting in silence, Fionna curled into his side as her emotions calmed, Marshall walked her home and picked up a hat and coat he'd left there for emergencies so he didn't have to run all the way home if he was out during the day. Fionna did the same, leaving a change of clothes at his house.

As he drifted in and tossed aside the hat and coat, he headed up to his room to pause before the mirror on the back of his bathroom door. He pulled off his ruined plaid shirt and wiped away the crushed cream puffs to inspect his bruises and the gaping hole through his ribs. Thankfully he didn't bleed easily and the pastries had covered up what little blood and gore there was. It'd take a long time to heal, but it was alright. Meeting his reflection in the mirror, he sighed quietly at the rings under his eyes. _At least Fionna doesn't know…_

* * *

**_Hey, I'm back! This chapter wasn't my original idea to follow Abadeer Hall, but I wanted to get something out to you guys while I work on building the story up a little more. Normally I don't write chapters that don't contribute to the overall story, but this seemed necessary not only to pay tribute to the original appearance of Marshall Lee, but also to show Marshall's side. I always wondered what would happen if Marshall had been lying about faking his injury. I think this may lead into something. But it's good to be back, guys. I missed this._**

**_-Taiylor Wallace_**


	6. Burn

_**Marshall Lee continues to hide the wound inflicted by the spear in the graveyard even as he begins to get sick, but all the stress and pain comes to a head when Fionna goes missing and Flint loses control.**_

* * *

With shaking hands and fumbling fingers Marshall Lee replaced the adhesive bandage across the left side of his ribs. He could hardly stand the pain of reaching back to press the second bandage over the other end of the wound where the spear had pierced through and out his back under his shoulder blade. Even if he was a vampire, such awful wounds could still be deadly if untreated, and hurt like hell. With a long sigh, Marshall inspected his work in his long mirror on the back of his bathroom door. It'd been three days since he'd been impaled on that spear in the graveyard and managed to hide it and pretend it was all faked in front of Fionna and Cake. It'd been a tough couple weeks for the Vampire King after retrieving his late father's gifts from the Mazirion, made even tougher by the spear wound and lack of sleep thanks to heartbreaking dreams, nightmares, and the constant soul-crushing ache in his ribs as well as his heart. His heart hurt for the memory of his father, for his treatment of Fionna and Cake the night of his accident, and for his own idiocy that same night trying to get Fionna to admit she loved him. She hadn't answered, and he wondered to himself... If she'd said she didn't love him, could it have possibly hurt any worse?

Relaxing gingerly onto his right side on his bed, Marshall was perfectly fine with daydreaming til he fell asleep if sleep did finally come. He had no such luck. It seemed like he'd only just relaxed and forgotten about his aching chest when a knock at the front door made him jolt awake and groan in pain. He glanced out the window to the mouth of his cave to note the light of the setting sun. Of course... Most people expected him to be awake by this time. So with all the effort he could summon, he sat up and pulled on his grey tank top to cover up the bandages and made his way down to the living room. He'd hardly made it to the bottom floor when the door swung open and Fionna happily trotted in. She tended to let herself in if he took too long.

"Hey, Mar," she piped up brightly while she went about pulling BMO from her pack to set it up for their biweekly game night. She didn't notice the painful smile until he spoke.

"Hey, Fi..." He murmured hoarsely. His depressed tone made her pause to finally see his expression. He looked like he was trying not to fall asleep or be sick at the same time under that fake and slightly agonized smile.

"... What's up? You look like you're gonna pass out or something. She stood up straight to study him, but he made his way to the kitchen and waved the notion aside.

"Nah, just didn't sleep much." He began gathering drinks and snacks from the fridge.

"No, seriously, man. You're pale all the time, but you're like... grey now, not even blue." She stepped up to face him and blocked him from reentering the living room. "What's going on? Are you sick? You look depressed and sick."

Marshall simply played it off as ever, as if nothing was wrong. "I just missed my tanning session, I'll have my color back once I do it tomorrow." He gave her a fanged grin and she huffed as he nudged past.

"Fine, don't tell me."

"Nothing to tell."

"Liar."

"Are you gonna come defend your title or am I gonna be the new Wizardry Wars grand champion?" At that challenge, Fionna bolted to the couch beside him and both took up their controllers. Their gaming was usually animated, jumping all over each other, shoving, teasing, and even fighting over the 'good' controller for superiority. Fionna's next bit hint that things weren't right came when Marshall simply sat still and quiet, his thumbs tapping the buttons and falling behind easily in Fionna's fast pace. After two rounds Fionna had had enough of his lies. Pausing the game mid-match, Fionna looked over at Marshall with a raised eyebrow.

"What the stuff, dude?"

"What?" Marshall asked with an eyebrow raised in return. He leaned back against the couch to feign a normal casual front, but he couldn't help how his hands and teeth clenched at the pressure on his back.

"I know I'm high-energy, but you're ridiculously quiet and slow today. You couldn't even do your fire bolt combo, and you never mess that up."

"I'm having an off day."

"Tell me the truth."

"Tell you what," Marshall sighed, "you win this next round, and I'll tell you everything on my mind. If I win, you stop pushing."

"... You know I'm just worried about you, right?" And that made Marshall's heart clench tightly at the concerned, even slightly hurt look on the bunny-eared blonde's face.

"I know... So we got a deal?" He was definitely not going to give in without a fight, no matter how much he appreciated Fionna's care.

"You're on," Fionna confirmed with a resolute nod. Both gamers fell into silent concentration and focused on BMO's screen like their lives depended on it. Marshall certainly felt his- or that of his image in front of Fionna- did depend on it. On-screen, a blue mage and a red mage clashed with all manner of spells until Fionna's blue mage destroyed Marshall's shield and zapped him out of existence with a firework particle effect.

"YES!" Fionna roared in triumph. "The Wizard Queen prevails!" Marshall let out a heavy sigh and set his controller aside. His mind was too exhausted to fumble for an excuse or evasion. Honestly, it didn't seem worth it to hide the truth. She ought to know he was hurt and sick, right? She was his friend, and if anything, she would give him a stern talking-to and then want to take care of him. Prideful as Marshall Lee was, having someone to care for him sounded pretty good at the moment, especially if it was Fionna.

"Alright," Marshall groaned at her expectant gaze when she looked over at him to uphold his end of the bet. "… The other day, at the graveyard…" _Knock-knock-knock._ Marshall paused at that, looking to his door. "Why does everyone want my attention today…?" He rose slowly and stepped over to the door, opening it up with some mild surprise at the sight of the flame-protected Flame Prince.

"Good Evening, Marshall Lee," Flint said politely. They could be civil to each other when they weren't battling over who was more detrimental to Fionna's health.

"Uh… hiya. I guess you're here for Fi."

"Is she here?" Before Marshall could answer, Fionna slipped under his arm to hug Flint tightly and press a kiss to his cheek.

"Hey, what's up?" Fionna asked softly, beaming up at her boyfriend. Marshall felt his heart clench at just how happy they both looked to see each other. He could only stay silent and long to be in Flint's place.

"Prince Gumball sent me to get you. He has an important project for us. And Marshall too if he's willing to come." Flint looked up with a welcoming smile to Marshall Lee. It was easy to be nice to the Vampire King when they were both calm and no one was teasing or arguing.

"Uh… Honestly, I'd like to," Marshall shrugged slightly. "But I'm a little under the weather. I think I'm just gonna go to sleep."

"Oh. Well, I hope you feel better soon. If you change your mind, we'll be in the Candy Kingdom for a while." Flint took Fionna's hand, but the blonde adventuress hesitated for a moment and went to gather up BMO and its controllers.

"We'll have another game night when I'm done, okay? Just get some rest. And you still owe me the truth, man," Fionna warned Marshall as she shouldered her pack again once BMO was comfortable inside.

"Yeah, I know. Go on, make sure Gummy doesn't blow himself up or something." Marshall saw the two out, but Fionna was sure to hug him before she went. It would've felt great if not for the fact that she'd wrapped his arms around his chest and disturbed the spear wound. But Marshall had to keep himself from showing any sign of pain as he returned her embrace. The couple set off for the Candy Kingdom while Marshall watched them go from his doorway. As much as he wanted to sleep, he found that rest eluded him when he laid down in bed again. Schwable came to join him and curled up on his unhurt side with a purr. Marshall absently stroked her fur while his mind wandered for hours. The night was sleepless, but the next day was a tradeoff; the onset of fever but with a good eight hours' sleep broken up by the occasional startling fever-dream.

* * *

The next evening after a small dinner, Marshall was strumming on his guitar. It was still that stupid soft tune he'd been trying to write lyrics to for months. It had eluded him since before he'd met Fionna, but he'd actually worked out proper chord progressions after meeting her and now he had a beautiful instrumental piece with no prospect of adding vocals. It just sounded… incomplete without a voice. As ever, Marshall's work on this particular song was interrupted. A knock at the door about midnight had him standing from the couch and laying aside his guitar. He had to take care not to sit up too fast or he'd get dizzy. Opening up the door, he was surprised to see Flint again.

"Hello, Marshall. Is Fionna here?"

"No. I haven't seen her since she left with you yesterday."

"Odd… I walked her home early this morning once we were done, but I haven't been able to find her. Prince Gumball needs us to continue our work for him."

"She's probably out somewhere with Cake… what're you two doing for Pinky anyway?"

"The Prince is having us fetch some special materials from here and there for some sort of experiment. I think he's trying to upgrade the city guardians. I'm not sure, Fionna didn't want to sit around and listen."

"Sounds like Fi. So do you know where Cake is? They're probably together."

"Last I heard, Cake was with Lord Monochromicorn today."

"Fionna normally doesn't go with them on their dates," Marshall thought aloud. "Weird… We'd better go talk to them just in case. It's not like Fionna to just disappear and not tell anyone where she's going." Marshall drifted back inside to get his axe guitar, making sure to sling it across his back in a way that wouldn't let the strap contact the bandages across his ribs. Both boys set off into the sky to see if Fionna or Cake had returned to the treehouse since Flint last checked. After they found it empty and dark, they headed for Monochromicorn's home and found Gumball's trusted companion and his love relaxing outside watching the stars. After a quick questioning, they found that Cake nor LM had seen Fionna since that morning. Cake mentioned that the adventuress had gone into the Candy Kingdom after a long nap.

"So you haven't seen her since? No idea where she is at all?" Marshall questioned the cat.

"I thought she went to see Flint." Cake rose from beside Monochromicorn with a deeply concerned expression. "We better ask Gumball." So, now four-strong, the group set off toward the palace and once there, found an impatient Prince Gumball awaiting Flint.

"There you are! I thought you said you'd be back by sunset." Gumball raised an eyebrow at Flint and his companions. "Is everyone helping?"

"It depends," Flint glanced to the other three with him. "Have you seen Fionna?"

"Of course. She came back before noon to help me prepare a crystal of power for one of my guardians. It took us most of the day, then I sent her to get some special magical bark from the forest."

"How long ago?" Marshall murmured.

"Well… about an hour ago. She should be back any minute." Everyone seemed to relax at that. Marshall blew out a sigh, feeling exhaustion set in as his anxiety calmed.

"We ought to stay and wait for her, just in case," Flint suggested, and his companions nodded in agreement. They all found a place to lounge and wait in the great hall. Ten minutes ticked by, but no one thought about it until ten minutes became twenty, then thirty. Flint began to pace and Marshall nervously plucked at his guitar strings. Forty, fifty, an hour, and Gumball sent out guards to check the road to the forest. They returned at the hour and a half mark with no news, and Flint finally opted to go looking for Fionna himself as his temper began to flare in worry.

"This isn't like her," Gumball muttered. "I'll come and-"

"No," Flint growled. "She doesn't need any more help getting lost or in trouble from you." As much as he and Gumball were on good terms, Flint was convinced Fionna going missing was Gumball's fault for sending her alone into an unfamiliar and tricky part of the forest.

"That's hardly called for," Gumball huffed.

"Just stay here in case she comes back," Marshall offered. For once, he was trying to be the peace-keeper.

"I don't need your help to find her either," Flint grumbled before bolting out of the palace. Marshall tried not to be too offended. Flint was just as worried as everyone else if not more. His girlfriend whom he adored was missing in a potentially dangerous part of the woods, and he got angry when he was scared. Marshall was off behind him a moment later while Cake and Monochromicorn deigned to search the surrounding area in case Fionna was simply distracted with something else nearby. Flint and Marshall headed for the area that Gumball had sent Fionna to in order to find the white trees with the magic-infused bark, and the two landed on a small trail through the trees to find evidence that Fionna had been there. They found her pack, one strap slashed, sitting on the side of the path with a terrified-looking BMO poking its head out. Marshall gently gathered up the little bot and the pack and BMO clung to him, muttering something about bandits. Marshall and Flint shared a glance before they both shot down the path after BMO pointed the way.

They found a few goblin-like bandits dead on the path with clear evidence of Fionna's swordsmanship and a shred out of her top clutched in one of their hands along with blood on his claws. Fionna was hurt and fighting for her life; that much was clear especially when they caught the distant clang of metal on metal. Flint took off so quickly that Marshall nearly lost sight of him. They came upon a scene of ten dead goblins and five still alive and fighting against the bunny-eared adventuress. She was bleeding from several raking claw-marks but looked fairly alright.

"Fionna!" Flint cried, bolting into the fray with a roar of anger as a goblin's curved blade ripped into Fionna's sword arm and she ended up dropping her weapon. With the goblins distracted by the raging Flame Prince, Marshall shot to Fionna's side. Her pack was slung on his back with its remaining good strap, and Marshall scooped Fionna up to get her away from the fighting. He set her back down several yards away beside a fairly large boulder, and he dug into her bag for bandages. Both heard an odd sound like glass shattering, and turned to see Flint's flame-protection pendant had shattered under a goblin's blade. The blade sliced into Flint's chest, and the Prince's fiery power suddenly exploded, unchecked any longer by magicks. Marshall barely had the chance to grab Fionna and shield her with his own body when the eruption of flame engulfed the little clearing.

Fionna's eyes clenched tightly shut at the intense heat, but she felt no burning as Marshall put his back to the blaze to defend her. After the longest three seconds of her life amid the heat, she felt Marshall begin to slump against her with a whimper amidst the flaming grass and trees. Fionna barely managed to hold him up. "Flint!" She cried, hoping he would get ahold of himself and stop the fires all around them for Marshall's sake. Flint was in a daze, but snapped back when he heard her anguished cry. His flames dissipated as he turned to see the back of Marshall's shirt full of burned holes and several burns eating into his pale skin.

"Oh my Glob," Fionna whispered, laying Marshall on his side. "Oh glob… Marshall…?" He didn't answer her, and she immediately grabbed the singed bandages from his hand and tore his ruined shirt from his back to try to treat the burns. There, she saw the awful blackened wound in his back. The bandages had burnt away, and Fionna's first thought was that Flint had done this to him. "Flint! What did you do?!" The wound had begun to bleed again from so much stretching and stress, and Fionna struggled to stop the shaking of her hands as she pressed bandages over it. Flint didn't dare get close in his state with his pendant broken.

"Fionna… I didn't-"

"Shut up and go get help!" Fionna snarled at him, making Flint wince painfully at the malice in her voice and her gaze. Surely he hadn't done anything more than accidentally burn the Vampire King in his rage… he couldn't have run him through with fire… right? Even Flint was uncertain of himself as he raced back above the forest. He found Cake and Monochromicorn and told them quickly that Fionna and hurt and Marshall was in horrible shape. Cake opted to go to Fionna while Lord Monochromicorn hurried back to tell Gumball. Flint, however, didn't budge to go back to Fionna until Cake called for him to hurry up and lead her to the wounded pair.

Cake's expression when she saw what had happened to Marshall was nothing short of shock and heartbreak for the vampire. Sure they had many fights and Marshall loved to scare her, but he was a dear friend and Cake was about ready to shred Flint for what she and Fionna thought he'd done.

"I didn't do that to him! Listen!" Flint pleaded as Cake stalked toward him. "I lost control and the pendant broke and I burned him, but I didn't do… that…" His eyes drifted to the bloody bandages in Fionna's hands. Fionna glared at him until Marshall shifted slightly.

"He didn't do it…" Marshall groaned softly. "It was already there…" Fionna's eyes grew wide as she looked back down at the awful wound. It suddenly made sense. He had been getting sick, he was exhausted, and he had been stiff and slow since… since the graveyard.

"You… you really did fall on that spear," Fionna whispered. "Marshall…" Tears brimmed in her eyes. "You big dummy… why didn't you tell me…?"

"I didn't want you to worry," Marshall murmured. "After all I did to you, I didn't want to make it worse." He offered her a miserable smile.

"You're the stupidest guy I've ever met," Fionna sniffled with a painful smile in return just as Gumball arrived with Monochromicorn. They wrapped Marshall up and tended to Fionna as best they could before Cake carried them back to the Candy Kingdom to be seen by Doctor Prince. Fionna's cuts were easily cared for by a nurse, but Doctor Prince spent nearly an hour with Marshall before he emerged to the waiting and worried group.

Gumball had given Flint a replacement for his amulet and Fionna was sitting in silence beside him, holding his hand to let him know that Marshall's burns weren't his fault and to apologize for thinking he'd wounded Marshall so horribly. They and their friends stood when Doctor Prince stepped out and they waited expectantly for news.

"Well," Doctor Prince sighed. "The good news is that he's patched up properly now. Whatever he was doing at home to treat his wounds wasn't effective. I'm afraid the bad news is that he's got a bad infection and a nasty fever. The burns are fairly minor, they'll heal in no time what with him being a vampire. But the infection will run the same course it would with any normal person. It won't be an easy recovery for Marshall Lee, but he'll definitely make it."

"Can I see him?" Fionna asked just above a whisper.

"Of course. One or two at a time, please. Let's not get him worked up."

Fionna ended up going into Marshall's darkened and quiet room alone as Flint couldn't stand to face the Vampire King. She sat down at his side and reached out to take his cold hand. "Marsh…?" She murmured.

"Yeah…"

"You're a jerk."

"I know…" That was all they needed to say, and Fionna remained there with him for nearly an hour til he fell asleep. When she stepped out, she simply motioned for Flint to come walk with her while Cake took over watching Marshall Lee. They stepped out to the gardens and Fionna sat down on a bench and patted the spot beside her.

When Flint took the seat, he began quickly, "Fionna, I-"

"It's okay."

"But- …" he paused again when her eyes came to meet his own. "I… I really never meant to hurt him… I just… I saw that goblin hurt you and I… I lost it."

"I know. I don't blame you for it. You're blaming yourself, though, and you really shouldn't. It was an accident, and you had good intentions. Just… all I ask is that you try to… I dunno, direct your energy or whatever next time."

"There won't be a next time," Flint promised resolutely. "I keep losing my temper… Even when it's justified, it's still too much. I hurt your best friend, regardless of the fact he was already hurt anyway. I can't do that again… not ever."

"Do what you think you need to," Fionna murmured softly, scooting closer to press a kiss to his cheek. As much as he didn't think he deserved it, Flint was glad for her forgiveness and love and returned his own love with a kiss pressed to her lips. It was one of the few real kisses they'd ever shared and Fionna blushed ever so slightly as she curled against his side. He was eventually lost in his own thoughts. _I'll be damned if I ever hurt anyone like that again…_ he thought. Flint decided then and there that he needed to focus on managing his anger and power, and it should be his priority to prove to Fionna that he wasn't a loose cannon or a danger to her and her friends anymore. He had to be the boyfriend she deserved, because she was the girlfriend he felt he could never possibly deserve. She was too loving and too unpredictably perfect for him in his mind, not to mention far too forgiving of his shortcomings, as guilty as he felt for them. But that was why he loved her; she saw everything about him and loved him anyway.

* * *

**_So I had to continue playing with the idea of Marshall hiding the fact he's hurt, but I also had to begin to put a little strain on Flint and Fionna as well as properly addressing Flint's temper and just how powerful and reckless it can become in a moment of rage and vengeance. I'm pretty proud of this chapter, especially because it's the first long chapter of anything I've written since I fell off the wagon with this series. Here's to the feels!_**

**_-Taiylor Wallace_**

**_P.S. A huge thanks to Imex and Reiko for their ideas and support! I can't build a story without inspiration and new input. A stagnant source does not an original story make._**


	7. Mini-sode: Lost Fathers

_**Awaiting Fionna's arrival to take on an adventure that will go easy on their battered and bruised bodies, Marshall Lee and Flint begin talking about their histories, sharing some of their biggest childhood mysteries and painful memories.**_

* * *

"Y'know, your girlfriend takes forever."

Marshall Lee's words jerked Flint from his thoughts and made the prince look up to see the Vampire King lounging in midair with his guitar slung across his back while he absently braided long leaves of grass together and tied them into chains. He already had about a foot of linked braids. Had Flint really been lost in thought that long?

"She'll get here when she gets here. You know Prince Gumball had an errand for her tonight. It might've taken longer than she expected." Flint's tone was not an amused one. Since his last outing with Marshall Lee along, he'd been deep in thought about his own life. He'd begun talking more often with Gumball, using his advice to learn how to direct the fiery, volatile anger that Flint dealt with in more productive- or at least safe- ways. He'd also spent some time talking to Marshall while the vampire healed from his hurts two weeks prior. They never really talked about anything important, but Flint found that, in the right mood, Marshall could be fairly serious and thoughtful. Both put more effort into talking to one another for the sake of Fionna whose favorite adventures were those that included both her favorite boys. Things would be a little different tonight, however, as Marshall was still hurting and just barely healed enough to go out and Cake wouldn't be coming. Fionna had told the boys that she had heard of a ruined castle that sounded tame enough for Marshall's weaker state but seemed to still be a great place to explore. As she so often did, she'd gotten the lead from Choose Goose who'd traded her the castle key for an old keystone from a dungeon she'd cleared a year before.

"Hopefully she didn't get held up by a bunch of goblins again," Marshall grunted, earning a piercing and slightly guilty glare from Flint.

"That's not funny. That was a horrible situation and we all got hurt because of it. If you were human, you'd have died for sure."

"If I was human, I would've died a heck of a long time before now. Probably wouldn't have lived past seven," Marshall muttered absently, even if it was frightening to think about. Flint glanced at him again, worried but curious.

"Gumball told me you weren't a Vampire back then... that you were trapped in this world. He said the Ice Queen took care of you. Is that true?"

"She was Symone back then... that was before the crown made her crazy. I got pretty sick, and she saved me..." Both averted their gazes from one another. Flint knew it was a very tender subject, just like his own past which Marshall had shown some interest in but had been fairly respectful of the painful memories.

"What about you... and... Asha, wasn't it?"

"The fire lion, my mother... yes. I told you my birth mother sent me away because she was told I'd overthrow her, but the servant who was supposed to kill me couldn't bear to do it. I don't really know the whole story, but I ended up outside a fire lion den and Asha... she stopped the male lions from eating me, and raised me as her own. I'm afraid I never forged a new relationship with my birth mother like you have, though."

"Mom's got a good heart for a demon... but I know your mom. I don't blame you. But... what about your dad? I've never heard of a Flame King."

Flint's breath caught in his throat. "There... there never was a Flame King... my mother married a trusted servant and just made him a royal consort. She wanted a daughter to raise. I've heard... that it was my father who was supposed to take me away and kill me. But when my mother found me years later, apparently she tried to kill my father for his betrayal. I don't know if he's still alive. All I know is that he ran away the day my mother brought me back home and she had attacked him. I never saw his face, but people told me while I was there that I look just like him." He glanced up to Marshall. "What about you...? I never heard anything about your father after the Mazirion, only that he'd left a challenge in it for you. Fionna told me that ring was his," he nodded toward Marshall's hands. On the Vampire King's right middle finger was the aquamarine-jeweled ring he'd received from the chest of the stone battle golem in the Mazirion. Marshall glanced to it, recalling his vague memories of playing with it on his father's huge hand while the tall man wrote music and played on a keyboard one-handed and the two of them sang tunes together for hours at a time. It was why one of Marshall's favorite colors was aquamarine and why he hadn't taken it off since he'd opened up its box.

"His name was Marcel... and he was my best friend. There aren't really a lot of families in the Nightosphere, and there weren't any kids when I was still there. I spent all my time either playing by myself, exploring with our housekeeper watching after me, or following my parents around. They loved each other to death and they loved me... we were really happy, even if they were gone too often looking after the Nightosphere. When I was six, Dad started getting really sick and he couldn't go out and about with Mom anymore, so I got to spend most of a year with him all to myself and we loved it. He was already my best friend, but we got closer in that year than I've ever been with anyone else... almost anyone. The only person I've ever been close with since is Gumball, and more recently Mom again. When I was seven and I went with Mom to see her close a portal some stupid human had opened, I got trapped on the mortal side and I never saw Dad again."

"... He was human?"

"Yeah..."

"I... I'm sorry, Marshall Lee," Flint nearly whispered.

"For what?" Marshall raised an eyebrow with a bit of concern.

"For bringing up these memories for you."

"I brought them up for you too. Let's just say we're even." Marshall offered him a weak half-smile, unable to summon the effort for a real grin. Flint returned with a soft smile of his own.

"Deal."

* * *

**_I thought I'd give you guys a little something to tide you over til the next big chapter. I think it's important to illustrate that these guys don't hate each other, even if one is jealous and the other is terribly temperamental. Come to think of it, Marshall can get a pretty bad temper when he's having a bad day. It doesn't seem like a good mix, but I genuinely think that they could be damn good friends. And yes, I avoided the genderbent version of Bubblegum being the person who found Flame Princess. I wanted a conduit through which to introduce a little snippet about Flint and I figured I'd address the question of where his father is or at least who he was. I may or may not bring him in later. I'm thinking this particular season could look into our characters' parents a little bit. ALL the emotional drama!_**

**_-Taiylor Wallace_**


	8. Update: First Published Book!

Hey everybody! I'm taking a short break from the fanfiction to catch up with school and get some projects done, but I thought I'd update you on a huge achievement that I'm super proud of!

I just published my very first book! It's the first in a long series and the next volume should be out in the next couple months. I really hope you guys will buy it for your Amazon Kindle device or, if you don't have one, read it on the free Kindle App for your computer or phone. It's going for $0.99USD and it's available now!

_The Riddle of Griffon's Tide: Eona_

Volume 1 of the _Aberrant_ series by Taiylor Wallace

I'm afraid I can't give you a link because of this site's make up, but you can find it under the title on Amazon, or go check out my blog 'Weird? Maybe' on WordPress, or check the fanfiction's blog 'AdventuresInAaa' for the link! I hope you enjoy it and please rate/review it on Amazon and let me know what you think here or on Weird?Maybe!

You guys are beautiful, thanks!

-Taiylor Wallace


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